No-Noodle Eggplant Lasagna with Mushroom Ragú

Author Notes

There are many forms in which to enjoy the versatility of an eggplant: broiled until blackened, then scooped into a smoky eggplant dip; sliced paper-thin, fried, and served in a tower of irresistibly crisp chips with tzatziki as the restaurant Milos does, in New York City; slow-cooked with lots of olive oil until silky and sumptuous, as Francis Lam does in his Pasta with Eggplant Sauce. But when I was challenged with making a No-Noodle Vegetarian Lasagna, this was a curve-ball thrown into my usual eggplant repertoire. You see, eggplant is a vegetable (OK, fruit) that is notoriously finicky to cook well. I knew that I had to employ some extra techniques in order to deliver a recipe that avoided the common pitfalls of tough, spongy, under-cooked eggplant, and wasn’t too “diet-y” to still feel substantial enough for a main course. And, with that amount of effort, it better taste delicious!

After a few rounds of trial and error, I learned that the trick to success (and avoiding a soggy mess) was making sure that all of the ingredients had low-moisture content: salted, roasted eggplant; a thick, creamy béchamel; and a hearty mushroom ragú. The result is a satisfyingly dense, worthwhile, and tasty dish that falls somewhere between a moussaka and lasagna.

First was getting the eggplant right. While there’s debate on this technique, I’ve always found that slicing and salting the eggplant in advance helps to remove some of the moisture, for a more tender, properly-cooked outcome. When choosing an eggplant, look for fruit that is shiny and firm, without spots that feel bruised or dented when touched (old, overripe eggplant is more bitter). After testing different varieties and sizes, I found that eggplants that were about 1 pound each and 8 inches long worked best. They were big enough to adequately cover the baking dish, but they weren’t overly-seedy, as the huge eggplant tends to be (making holes in the roasted eggplant slices and sticking to the pan). I also considered Chinese or Japanese varieties, which have a milder, sweet flavor, but worried that they’d lose so much volume it would take an unreasonable amount of the skinnier fruit to form the layers.

Next, I focused on the right combination of fillings. On the first go, I prepared a classic, American-style lasagna composed of simple tomato sauce, béchamel, and ricotta filling, spread between layers of roasted eggplant. It had all the makings of a great traditional lasagna, but when I tasted it, the dish was far too wet with too much smooth sauce for the delicate eggplant (which doesn’t soak up extra liquid or maintain a bite the way pasta would). Serving it was a mess, and there wasn’t enough texture or flavor contrast to make it irresistible. Enter a mushroom ragú, which provided the rich, umami-filled depth of flavor and bolognese-like texture the dish needed. The ricotta filling also broke and released too much moisture, and didn’t contribute a whole lot of flavor. Instead, I opted to cut the ricotta layer and keep the more-stable béchamel in the mix for its luxurious creaminess. To make this recipe truly gluten-free, replace the flour in the béchamel with your favorite gluten-free flour blend, like Cup4Cup.

Finally, I had to get the ratio of eggplant to sauces and filling just right. Initially, I tried to squeeze in too many layers of eggplant to mimic the beautiful many-layered lasagnas of Northern Italy. But with the eggplant, this not only added to the watery texture but also required too many sheet pans and batches of roasting in the oven. I only wanted to use two sheets and one roasting session (less time spent, fewer dishes!). As much as I love those mile-high lasagnas, it just doesn’t work here.

This recipe takes time and has a good amount of prep: there’s no “no-boil” noodles to fall back on, and salting and roasting the eggplant is a crucial step. This lasagna would make a nice Sunday project to enjoy with friends or family, or save, assembled in the refrigerator, for your meatless Monday. If you simply don’t have the time or energy to make it entirely from scratch, here are a few time-savers: you can substitute the béchamel with a ricotta mixture, but know that it may have a more watery, and less creamy texture. Mix 1 pound whole-milk ricotta (about 2 cups), 4 ounces shredded low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella (about 1 cup), 1 ½ ounces freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano (about ½ cup), and 2 large eggs; season with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper. To make quick work of chopping the mushrooms, pulse them briefly in a food processor. You can also enhance your favorite store-bought marinara with sautéed mushrooms, rather than cooking the sauce entirely from scratch. Just make sure to brown the mushrooms properly and simmer the liquid to remove some of the moisture before assembly.

The eggplant becomes (you guessed it!) watery when frozen and thawed, so it doesn’t hold up well in the freezer. However, the lasagna can be assembled in advance and stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days. If your family can’t take down an entire 9-by-13-inch dish of lasagna, the recipe can be halved and made following the same instructions in an 8-by-8-inch pan. This dish also makes excellent leftovers reheated in the microwave or a 350°F oven, for up to 4 days.

A note on cheeses: in this recipe, “grated” means the spiky, rasp-style side of a box grater. This results in fluffy, powdery cheese that distributes well and melts easily. If you don’t have the patience for that (I barely do), use a microplane or the fine shredding holes of the grater. “Shredded” refers to shredding a block on the large holes of a box grater. You’re welcome to use pre-shredded, but note that bagged cheeses are often tossed in starch to prevent clumping, and don’t melt as cohesively as prepping your own. Use low-moisture mozzarella cheese, rather than fresh mozzarella (the distinction is important to avoid a watery lasagna and achieve the bubbly brown top we all love).

Eggplant lovers, this one’s for you!
—Lindsay Leopold